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L'Adulte

Can Sarkozy reform France?

By

John Fund

Updated May 7, 2007 11:59 p.m. ET

Conservative Nikolas Sarkozy's comfortable victory over Socialist S&eacute;gol&egrave;ne Royal in France's presidential race may indicate that Europe's slowest-growing major economy is finally ready for some change.

Long derided as a "center of social rest" for its cradle-to-grave welfare state, mandatory 35-hour work week, public-sector strikes and ossified employment rules, France has voted for a new president who claims he wants to shake things up. "France does not fear change," Mr. Sarkozy told...